Combination lock structure

ABSTRACT

A combination lock structure for luggage cases and the like, having a cup member defining a forwardly opening well and a lock housing nested in the well and reciprocatively movable between latching and release positions. A pair of manually adjustable dial wheels carried on the front of the lock housing control hub members which extend through specially shaped openings in a fence plate which normally locks the housing against movement from latching position. When the dial wheels are turned to the proper lock combination, the hub members permit movement of the fence plate to a position releasing the housing for unlatching movement.

United States Patent [191 Atkinson [54] COMBINATION LOCK STRUCTURE [75] Inventor: Wallace E. Atkinson, Petersburg,

[73] Assignee: Long Manufacturing Co., Inc.,

Petersburg, Va.

[22] Filed: June 7, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 367,787

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 7/1968 France 70/69 [451 Feb.4,1975

Primary Examiner-Robert L. Wolfe Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Mason, Fenwick & Lawrence [57] ABSTRACT A combination lock structure for luggage cases and the like, having a cup member defining a forwardly opening well and a lock housing nested in the well and reciprocatively movable between latching and release positions. A pair of manually adjustable dial wheels carried on the front of the lock housing control hub members which extend through specially shaped openings in a fence plate which normally locks the housing against movement from latching position. When the dial wheels are turned to the proper lock combination, the hub members permit movement of the fence plate to a position releasing the housing for unlatching movement.

6 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATEHTED FEB. 4l975 sum 2 or 2 COMBINATION LOCK STRUCTURE BACKGROUND AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates in general to a combination lock structure involving a plurality of rotatable combination dial members arranged along parallel axes of rotation to be set to a pre-determined combination of dial numbers for releasing the lock, and more particularly to a combination lock structure for application to containers or receptacles having separable parts to be releasably secured in closed position, such as luggage receptacles and the like. The particular construction herein disclosed includes a cup member to be mounted on a luggage surface and define a forwardly opening elongated well extending rearwardly in recessed relation from the surface, in which a box-like housing is supported for sliding movement longitudinally of the well between latching and unlatching positions when the proper combination has been dialed, together with a hook member projecting from the movable housing to assume latching and unlatching positions relative to a keeper aperture.

While combination locks have been used for many years in a wide variety of locking applications, such combination locks for the most part have been of relatively complex and expensive construction, involving a plurality of peripherly gated tumbler wheels operated from a single dial. The present invention is concerned with a significantly simplified type of combination locking mechanism suitable for less costly locking applications, such as for luggage cases, jewelry boxes, storage boxes for valuables, and similar applications, wherein a plurality of dial members are adapted to be angularly positioned to a pre-determined combination number and are associated with a manually movable housing member and a locking tongue in such a way as to admit movement of the housing member in a manner to release the combination lock.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a novel combination lock construction applicable to a wide variety of installation conditions, which is relatively simple in construction and is particularly adaptable for use on luggage receptacles and the like having a pair of hinged separable container sections.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a novel combination lock construction which can be relatively inexpensively manufactured and wherein a plurality of adjustable dial members are rotatably supported in side-by-side relation on a housing member enclosing a slidable plate serving as a bolt and movable reciprocatively between latching and unlatching positions in a forwardly opening well of a cup member.

Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a combination lock mechanism embodying the present invention illustrated in closed position on a luggage receptacle;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the combination lock mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of another embodiment of the combination lock mechanism;

FIG. 6 is a vertical section view of the combination lock mechanism of FIG. 5, taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and

' FIGS. 7 and 8 are fragmentary exploded perspective views of other shapes of the hub and fence plate opening which may be used.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures, and particularly to FIGS. 1 to 3, the combination lock mechanism of the present invention is indicated generally by the reference character 10, and comprises a latch section 11 which may, for example, be mounted on a tray or body portion -12 of :1 luggage case, and a keeper 13 which may be mounted on the separable cover section 14 of the luggage case. The latch section and keeper are usually mounted on the front wall of their respective receptacle sections adjacent the plane of separation between the receptacle body and cover, indicated by reference character 15.

The latch section 11 comprises a well or cup member 16 of generally rectangular configuration, stamped for example from sheet metal, and having its major dimensions extending horizontally on the front wall of the luggage case. The well or cup member 16 has a rectangular well portion 17 projecting through a suitable accommodating opening 18 cut in the front wall 12 of the luggage or container. The well 17 is bounded by a planar base panel 19, parallel bottom and top walls 20 and 21 extending perpendicular to the base wall 19, and parallel end walls 22 and 23 also extending perpendicular to the base wall 19. The marginal portions of the cup member 16 on all sides thereof extend outwardly beyond the walls 20-23 and define an integral rectangular frame 24 which is designed to butt against the front surface of the wall 12' of the luggage and define mounting and locating flanges to be disposed flush against the surface of the luggage case wall 12.

Recessed within the well defined by the well member 17 is a rectangular lock housing member 25 having a substantially planar front wall 26 and inwardly projecting flanges including top and bottom flanges 27, 27' at the longitudinal edges of the front wall 26 and end flanges 28, 28', collectively defining a rearwardly open ing box-like structure. The rearmost edges of the flanges 27, 27 and 28, 28' lie in a common plane paralleling and spaced rearwardly from the plane of the front wall 26, and the end flanges near the centers thereof have notches to receive correspondingly shaped tongues 29a ofa spring plate 29 closing the rear of the box-like housing 25. The top flange 27 has a bendable tab 27a and a hook-like extension 30 disposed in side-by-side relation extending from the rear edge thereof, while the bottom flange 27' has an extension projecting from the rearmost edge thereof of substantial length having a pair of longitudinally spaced bendable tabs 27a projecting therefrom. The bendable tab 27a and hook-like member 30 are designed to be passed through an accommodating slot 31 at the top edge of the base panel 19, while the extension having the bendable tabs 27a are to be projected through an accommodating elongated slot 32 in the panel 19 at the bottom edge thereof, after which the bendable tabs 27a, 27a are bent inwardly against the underside of the base panel 19 to retain the lock housing member 25 in assembled relation in the well or cup member 16. The slots 31 and 32 are of appropriate length paralleling the longitudinal or major axis of the well member to accommodate an appropriate extent of reciprocative movement of the housing member 25 between latching and unlatching positions.

Within the chamber defined by the front wall 26 in the flanges of the housing member 25, progressing from front to rear, are a fence plate 34 and a retaining plate 35. The fence plate has a width corresponding to the distance between the confronting interior surfaces of the end flanges 28, 28 and is shallower than the distance between the top and bottom flanges 27, 27, to be guided for vertical movement transverse to the major axis of the well 17, and is resiliently biased to one limit position, for example the top or raised position as viewed in FIG. 2, by the bowed leaf spring 36 whose ends fit in the channel-shaped recess formed along the major portion of the lower edge of the fence plate 34. The fence plate 34 also has a rearwardly projecting locking lug or tongue 34b at the mid-region of the recess 34a, which projects rearwardly through an elongated recess 35b in the retaining plate 35 and a similar recess 29b in the spring plate 29 to normally lie immediately adjacent the forwardly bent locking tongue 37 bent from the base panel 19 of the well member with the locking lug 34b and locking tongue 37 in alignment with each other along the axis of movement of the housing member 25. The relative location of the locking lug 34b and locking tongue 37 when the housing 25 is in locked position is such that the locking tongue 37 forms an abutment or stop which would prevent movement of the housing 25 toward the unlocked position within the well.

In the embodiment illustrated, a pair of dial wheel assemblies 39, 39' are disposed in side-by-side relation immediately forwardly of the front wall 26 for rotation about parallel axes perpendicular to the plane of the front wall 26. These dial wheel assemblies 39, 39 include an annular wheel member 40 having numbers on the front face or on the periphery thereof, as desired, and in the preferred embodiment have a central opening 40a which is bounded by concave notches or a serrated surface defining teeth, in which is releasably interfitted a hub member 41. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, the hub member has one or more teeth or protrusions, indicated at 41a, to interfit in the concave notches or with the teeth of the central opening 40a of the wheel member 40 at any of ten different angular positions corresponding to the ten numbers on the wheel member of the dial wheel assembly. The hub member 41 of each dial wheel assembly has a generally cylindrical shank portion rearwardly of the toothed portion having a flat 41b thereon at one angular position. and has a constricted diameter cylindrical end portion 41c which interfits into the similarly sized circular openings 35c in the retaining plate 35.

The hub members 41 may have heads at their exterior ends which are of slightly larger diameter than the openings in the annular wheel members 40 and cylindrical portions of the hub members extend through circular openings 26a in the front wall 26 of the housing. Rearwardly of the portions in the openings 260. the hub members have flats 41b which extend through the specially shaped openings 340 in the fence plate 34. It will be observed from the drawings that the openings 34b are of semicircular configuration concentric with the axes of the hub members over the upper halves of the openings 34c, as viewed in FIG. 2, but that the lower halves of the openings are rectangular. Thus, when the wheel members 40 and their associated hub members 41 are at appropriate angular positions to dispose the flats 41b in downwardly facing positions, the fence plate 34 is then free to be displaced upwardly by the bowed leafspring 36, thereby displacing the locking lug 34b upwardly above the level where it would be intercepted by the locking tongue 37 upon attempted movement of the housing 25 toward unlocking position. The housing 25 is then released for movement from the locking to the unlocking positions. The hub members 41 are retained in assembled relation with their associated wheel members 40 in this embodiment by staking the constricted diameter end portions 41c where they project rearwardly beyond the retaining plate 35 to thereby retain the dial wheel assemblies as well as the fence plate 34 and retaining plate 35 in assembled relation.

It will be appreciated that the hub members may have various numbers of teeth, for interfitting with the notches or serrations in the central openings 40a of the annular wheel members 40. In one practical example, the hub members 41 have ten teeth to interfit at various relative angular positions with a similar number of notches or serrations in the openings 40a to permit each wheel member to be disposed at any of 10 angular positions relative to its hub, corresponding to any of the ten numbers on the dial wheel. Obviously, two hub teeth, or five hub teeth may interfit with ten notches in the openings 40a, or four hub teeth may interfit with twenty notches. In the arrangement just described, wherein the end portions of the hub members 41 which project rearwardly beyond the retaining plate 35 are staked to retain the assembly together, the combination of the lock will be preset when the manufacturer assembles the hub and wheel assemblies to the components of the housing member 25.

The spring plate 29 has a rearwardly projected detent nose 29c formed by distorting the spring plate 29, which extends into either detent sockets 19a and 19b in the base panel 19 at the locked and unlocked positions of the housing 25, in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, or may coact with a forwardly distorted nose formation in the base panel 19, to in either case resiliently restrain the housing 25 in the position to which it has been manually adjusted.

It will be appreciated that other configurations, than the flat-interrupted cylindrical configuration illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 can be provided for the portion of the hub 41 in the opening of the fence plate 34 to obtain equivalent action. For example, the portion of the hub lying in the opening of the fence plate may have a slot or kerf 41 b in the shank portion of hub 41 to fit in the opening 340 of fence plate 34, as shown in FIG. 7, or may have a curved rib configuration 41b in the shank portion of hub 41" to fit in the opening 340' of fence plate 34" shown in FIG. 8. In either case, alignment of the kerf 41b or rib 41b with the complemental nose or slot in the fence plate opening permits upward movement of the fence plate to the unlocking position in the same manner as fence plate 34.

A modified form of the combination lock is illustrated in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 5 and the section view of FIG. 6, wherein the housing member 25, the dial wheel member 40 and hub member 41, the spring plate 29, and the cup member 16 are substantially like the embodiment of FlGS. 1-4, except that the shank of the hub member 41 does not have a flat thereon, and a pair of locking lugs 37, 37 are bent forwardly from the base panel 19 of the cup member 16 rather than using merely a single locking lug. In this arrangement, metallic discs 45, 45 have non-round center openings, for example square openings, interfitted on square constricted shank portions 41a of the I hub members 41 after which the shank portions 41a are staked to retain them in assembled relation with the metallic discs 45, 45. Immediately rearwardly of the discs 45, 45' is a locking plate 46 having recesses 46a in the lower edge thereof aligned to normally receive the locking lugs 37, 37', and having slots or depressions 46b adjacent the ends of the locking plate to be selectively registered with rearwardly projecting bosses or noses 45a adjacent the peripheries of the metallic discs 45, 45. A thin bowed spring 47 is disposed rearwardly of the locking plate 46 between the locking plate and the spring 29 to resiliently urge the locking plate 46 forwardly toward the front wall 26 of the housing member 25. When the dial assemblies are at any angular position other than the selected combination position, the rearwardly extending bosses or noses 45a on the discs 45, 45' maintain the locking plate 46 in a rearwardly displaced position against the bias of the spring 47 with the locking recesses 46a of the locking plate 46 interfitted with the locking lugs 37, 37', by retaining the housing member 25 against sliding movement within the well 17 from the locking position. However, when the proper combination is dialed by manual adjustment of the dial wheels 40, the bosses or noses 45a on the discs 45, 45' are angularly positioned to register with the slots or depressions 46b in the locking plate 46, permitting the spring 47 to displace the locking plate 46b forwardly enough to clear the front ends of the locking lugs 37, 37, thereby freeing the housing 45 for manual movement to the unlocking position.

What is claimed is:

l. A combination lock assembly adapted to be mounted on first and second wall portions of separable sections of a container adjacent a line of separation therebetween for securing the sections together, comprising a keeper to be affixed to the first wall portion, a latching unit to be mounted on said second wall portion including an elongated base member, a movable latch member slidably supported on said base member for rectilinear reciprocative movement along a path parallel to said line of separation between latching and release positions, said latch member including a housing having a catch projecting into selected alinement with said keeper for interlocking engagement therewith, a pair of rotatable dial wheels disposed at the front of said housing for manipulation to angular positions forming a selected combination, each of the respective dial wheels having hub portions rotatable therewith and extending into said housing including tumbler formations on the inner ends thereof rotatable with the hub portions, a fence plate guided within the housing for movement between release and locking positions and biased toward release position, said base member including a planar base panel paralleling said wall portions, said fence plate being movable along a fore-and-aft axis perpendicular to the plane of said base panel between a rearward locking; position and a forward release position, said fence plate and base panel having recess and lug portions which interfit when said fence plate occupies said locking position to prevent movement of said latching unit from said latching posi tion, said fence plate and the tumbler formations on said hub portions having means normally restraining said fence plate at locking position including coactive formations accommodating movement of the fence plate to release position when the dial wheels occupy said selected combination.

2. A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said dial wheels each have a center opening having a plurality of circumferentially spaced recesses in the surface of the opening, and each of said hub portions have projections at a location thereon to interfit in said recesses at any ofa plurality of different angular positions relative to the associated dial wheel for establishing the combination of the lock assembly.

3. A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 1, including tumbler wheels in the housing fixed on each of the respective tumbler formations on said hub portions having rearwardly protruding bosses adjacent the peripheries thereof normally engaging and maintaining said fence plate at said rearward locking position, and said fence plate having recesses therein which register with said bosses when said tumbler wheels occupy said selected combination to permit forward movement of the fence plate to said release position.

4. A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 2, including tumbler wheels in the housing fixed on each of the respective tumbler formations on said hub portions having rearwardly protruding bosses adjacent the peripheries thereof normally engaging and maintaining said fence plate at said rearward locking posi tion, and said fence plate having recesses therein which register with said bosses when said tumbler wheels 0ccupy said selected combination to permit forward movement of the fence plate to said release position.

5. A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 3, wherein said latching unit comprises a cup member defining a forwardly opening elongated cavity founded by an outer marginal frame, said housing being a boxlike substantially rectangular member nested in said cavity for sliding movement therein. between said latching and release positions, said housing having a front panel which is substantially flush with the plane of said outer marginal frame, and said dial wheels being disposed outwardly of said plane.

6. A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said latching unit comprises a cup member defining a forwardly opening elongated cavity bounded by an outer marginal frame, said housing being a boxlike substantially rectangular member nested in said cavity for sliding movement therein between said latching and release positions, said housing having a front panel which is substantially flush with the plane of said outer marginal frame, and said dial wheels being disposed outwardly of said plane. 

1. A combination lock assembly adapted to be mounted on first and second wall portions of separable sections of a container adjacent a line of separation therebetween for securing the sections together, comprising a keeper to be affixed to the first wall portion, a latching unit to be mounted on said second wall portion including an elongated base member, a movable latch member slidably supported on said base member for rectilinear reciprocative movement along a path parallel to said line of separation between latching and release positions, said latch member including a housing having a catch projecting into selected alinement with said keeper for interlocking engagement therewith, a pair of rotatable dial wheels disposed at the front of said housing for manipulation to angular positions forming a selected combination, each of the respective dial wheels having hub portions rotatable therewith and extending into said housing including tumbler formations on the inner ends thereof rotatable with the hub portions, a fence plate guided within the housing for movement between release and locking positions and biased toward release position, said base member including a planar base panel paralleling said wall portions, said fence plate being movable along a fore-and-aft axis perpendicular to the plane of said base panel between a rearward locking position and a forward release position, said fence plate and base panel having recess and lug portions which interfit when said fence plate occupies said locking position to prevent movement of said latching unit from said latching position, said fence plate and the tumbler formations on said hub portions having means normally restraining said fence plate at locking position including coactive formations accommodating movement of the fence plate to release position when the dial wheels occupy said selected combination.
 2. A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said dial wheels each have a center opening having a plurality of circumferentially spaced recesses in the surface of the opening, and each of said hub portions have projections at a location thereon to interfit in said recesses at any of a plurality of different angular positions relative to the associated dial wheel for establishing the combination of the lock assembly.
 3. A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 1, including tumbler wheels in the housing fixeD on each of the respective tumbler formations on said hub portions having rearwardly protruding bosses adjacent the peripheries thereof normally engaging and maintaining said fence plate at said rearward locking position, and said fence plate having recesses therein which register with said bosses when said tumbler wheels occupy said selected combination to permit forward movement of the fence plate to said release position.
 4. A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 2, including tumbler wheels in the housing fixed on each of the respective tumbler formations on said hub portions having rearwardly protruding bosses adjacent the peripheries thereof normally engaging and maintaining said fence plate at said rearward locking position, and said fence plate having recesses therein which register with said bosses when said tumbler wheels occupy said selected combination to permit forward movement of the fence plate to said release position.
 5. A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 3, wherein said latching unit comprises a cup member defining a forwardly opening elongated cavity founded by an outer marginal frame, said housing being a box-like substantially rectangular member nested in said cavity for sliding movement therein between said latching and release positions, said housing having a front panel which is substantially flush with the plane of said outer marginal frame, and said dial wheels being disposed outwardly of said plane.
 6. A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said latching unit comprises a cup member defining a forwardly opening elongated cavity bounded by an outer marginal frame, said housing being a box-like substantially rectangular member nested in said cavity for sliding movement therein between said latching and release positions, said housing having a front panel which is substantially flush with the plane of said outer marginal frame, and said dial wheels being disposed outwardly of said plane. 